Influences of Stylistic and Programmatic Elements in Selected Works by Alyssa Morris

This treatise discusses and exemplifies the stylistic and programmatic elements in three works by award-winning American oboist and composer, Alyssa Morris (b. 1984): Four Personalities for oboe and piano; Up and Away: The Story of a Balloon for oboe, bassoon, and piano; and Chrysalis for English horn and piano. Beginning with her first published work in 2007, Four Personalities, Morris’s music has become very popular. Several of her works have been recorded by prominent oboists and have been performed at conferences of the International Double Reed Society. The document provides biographical information on the composer and gives a detailed description of her compositional style and influences. This is followed by a thorough analysis of the form of each movement, and a discussion of the stylistic and programmatic elements utilized in each of these three works. The purpose of this research is to highlight the accomplishments of a composer who has made a significant contribution to woodwind music in the 21st Century, as well as to identify which qualities and compositional techniques allow her works to stand out in the wide selection of music written during this time period.